Popes To The Left of Me, Popes To The Right, Here I Am…Stuck In The Conclave Voting With You: Conclave

Vote, vote, vote! Sadly in the Conclave to select the new Pope, no-one gets a proud ‘I voted’ sticker. Moreover, until the correct percentage of votes is achieved, they all have to stay and keep voting…However, this is a Robert Harris thriller so there are twists, turns, reveals and nuns with thoughts. Literal smoke and mirrors.

In a very character driven drama, we focus on the increasing pressure hanging over Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes). As the present incumbent Pope dies, a new Pope has to be chosen by convening a very closed Conclave of Cardinals from across the world and choosing the ‘right’ candidate. In a battle of liberals vs conservatives, West vs rest of the world, Latin speakers vs everyone else, the votes and the machinations commence. However, in the background are a series of political and perhaps faith motivated bombings adding to the pressure.

However, one of our Cardinals is missing as the little-known Mexican Archbishop of Kabul Vincent Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz) suddenly (and unexpectedly) rocks up, having been commissioned by the previous Pope in secret. Thomas Lawrence doesn’t want to be Pope, neither does Aldo Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci). However, neither of them want Tedesco to be Pope fearing he will push things back to the good old/bad old days. Goffredo Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) really really does as does Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati). And something suspicious may or may not have happened with Joseph Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) and the previous Pope in his last days in office, which Tremblay denies. Ofcourse the previous Pope didn’t dismiss him. There’s a witness to this — and a missing document, which may or may not reveal the truth. Monsignor Raymond O’Malley (Brían F. O’Byrne) acts as Lawrence’s eyes and ears during the Conclave, asking the questions he can’t.

As the Cardinals and wannabe Popes fight amongst themselves (and keep voting), secrets reveal themselves removing candidates. What is the source of a mysterious argument in the corridor, Cardinal Joshua’s anger with a clumsy nun and Prefect Archbishop Janusz Woźniak (Jacek Koman)’s wild stories about what the Pope did in his last hours?

Really Isabella Rossellini’s Sister Agnes should be Pope or atleast get to vote as she has the knowledge — and uses this to beautiful effect in public at one point, complete with respectful curtsey. Sadly, she just gets to housekeeper and cater.

Whilst I’d have liked to have seen more of Lawrence’s faith struggles as he struggles to keep the faith and do the right thing, and manage all the personalities and power clashes, we do see fragility. We very much see the toll that the ethical struggles and dilemmas that Lawrence experiences, the weight that he is carrying and his struggles to lighten the burden through prayer and seeking God.

Doubt and faith are intrinsically linked in this drama — are they all electing the right Pope? Who should they tell their followers to have faith in if they don’t want the votes and to be Pope themselves? What do you do with the truth about a Papal candidate?

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